Travel: Burano Island, Italy

If Venice has my heart, Burano has my soul... 

Burano is a cheerful little archipelago in the Venetian Lagoon that’s exploding with color.  Known as the The Island of Lace, thanks to the women makers in the 16^th century, it’s a quaint & picturesque town just 40 minutes off the coast of Venice, which we traveled to by boat.  Its four single islands, separated by canals & connected by footbridges, like Venice.

Upon arriving to shore, we were greeted by the leaning bell tower of Church of San Martino, and couldn’t wait to explore the town on foot.

We were told that if you live on Burano and wish to paint your home, you much request permission from the government, who will advise which colors you’re allowed to paint your lot as the hued homes are not determined randomly.  It was said that the fishermen originally painted their houses to find their way home from sea – little did they know their colorful choices would make this a popular tourist attraction!

We found a literal row of rainbow houses...

Wouldn't you love to spend a few days here? Getting lost in the alley ways & relishing in all this colorful goodness?  

A grainy iphone pic, but a favorite none-the-less

Right before we were about to hit the sea to return to Venice, a waterspout appeared in the distance... kinda cool, but kinda freaky too!

Definitely put Burano on your travel list.  It's quite darling!

Six Year Anniversary Photos

Every year, for our anniversary, we find a location.   We set-up a tripod, our camera, & use a remote to do a little DIY photo-shoot. 

Why?

Not because we enjoy doing it (it's not that fun...) and not because we like to get our picture taken (who does?)

It's because I'm a firm believer that our marriage shouldn't stop being documented, even after we've said our vows.  Every year deserves to be celebrated. 

We often let life, and jobs, and hobbies get in the way of love.  But documenting "us" -- standing next to the person I said "I do" to and promised to love no matter what, is worth celebrating.

And twenty years from now, we're all gonna say "Look at how much hair Zac had!"  ;) 

So, keeping up with tradition... our six year anniversary photos:

Food for Thought.

Have you ever heard the Fable of the Porcupine?  If not, let me share it with you:

"It was the coldest winter ever and many animals died because of the cold. Some porcupines, realizing the gravity of the situation, decided to group together to share warmth. This way they were better covered and protected; however - the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. After a while they decided to distance themselves one from the other and soon after they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to accept the little wounds that were caused by these close relationships, in order to benefit from what their companions offered. It was this way that they were able to survive and thrive." -- Author unknown

I read this fable, randomly, in a Credit Management Publication that I receive bi-weekly at work.  I have no idea who the originator of this fable is, but usually I glance over the headlines in these publications, and maybe skim through them at best. However this one caught my eye, and I read through it twice.

I'm sure this fable is very old and probably well-known, though I had not heard it before.  I can't help but synchronize how well it's fits into our society today -- especially with all the devastation/"hate" we're hearing about in the media -- from the presidential election, to the civil war in Syria, right down to our own family qualms, whatever they may be...

{image via Pinterest}

How wonderful would this world be if we could each learn to live with each other's imperfections and accept the gifts they have to offer?  If we could be truly united, and not pass judgement on one another?  If we could focus on each other's strengths, instead of weaknesses?  I know, easier said than done -- but definitely food for thought.

Happy Monday friends, hope your week is off to a good start!

Anniversary Weekend in Wisconsin Dells

On October 9th, we celebrated 6 years of marriage by spending a long weekend away at Christmas Mountain Village in Wisconsin Dells.

The resort was wonderful; our Villa had a full kitchen, a massive king-sized bed in the master suite & two fireplaces in the unit to keep us nice & toasty.  The resort is about a 3 hour scenic drive through Wisconsin from Green Bay -- though we were surprised to see how little the leaves had changed the further south we drove.

For our weekend away, we had no other plans except sleeping in, breakfast in bed, and getting outside as much as possible.  We stayed off social media, we ate lots of good food, and enjoyed a long relaxing weekend.  Although a bit cold, it was pretty perfect. Below are a few (ok, a lot) of snapshots from our trip!

Our first stop was Mirror Lake State Park; we had planned to rent kayaks & fish, but it was really cold, so we decided to walk the hiking trails instead.

 

The leaves were just starting to change.

We stayed at Mirror Lake until sunset & then had supper at Sprecher's Restaurant & Pub.  Zac ordered a specialty beer & jambalaya, and I tried their caffeine-free cherry cola with a pulled pork sandwich.  I now know that I am not a fan of their tap sodas (super syrupy) or their pulled pork sammy.  Live & learn, I guess!  The atmosphere was still fun & Zac's meal was good.

The following morning we  Zac made breakfast at our Villa and we dinned in bed while watching Jim Shockey kill a Bighorn Sheep on the Outdoor Channel (Hello, cable TV! Another thing we love about vacation...) Breakfast in bed while watching a hunting show?  I know, it doesn't get much more romantic than that folks!

After breakfast we went to the Deer Farm & got to feed many different varieties of deer right from the palm of our hand!  Not gonna lie, it kind of freaked me out at first... being in a pen with all those hungry deer.  But then Zac forced me to feed them, and I lived to tell about it.

And... there were adorable pigs at the farm!

That afternoon, we returned to the resort & did some fishing.  It was cool outside, but the sun was warm & it was sooo relaxing.

After that, Zac took me on my first Duck ride, which was very neat.  It floors me how those vehicles can be on land one second, and in the water the next. Crazy!

We ended our evening with dinner at Ishnala's Supper Club -- a must visit spot, especially if you're in the mood for prime rib & good old fashioneds.  However, GET THERE EARLY.  Like right when they open, early. The place is a gem and the wait is insane, but it's such a great place.

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The following morning was breakfast in bed again, followed by some Outdoor Channel & HGTV binge watching while we waited for the temps to warm up.  Then it was off to hike in Devil's Lake State Park.

We hiked the East Bluff trail to Devil's Door and it was worth the uphill climb.  I under-estimated how out of shape me & my (at the time) 19 week old baby bump were, so we look lots of breaks on the way up.  I started the day all bundled up, but by the end of the hike, I had peeled all my layers off as the wind had died and there was not a cloud in the sky.

A lovely anniversary weekend, indeed.

P.S. Happy Halloween!  May your day be filled with all treats and no tricks!